Houston Cougars (18-3) vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (15-4)
Game Info: Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 7:00 pm (Fertitta Center)
Betting Odds: Houston Cougars -13 -- Over/Under: 135.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Houston Cougars will be welcoming the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers to the Fertitta Center this Thursday. This will be the first matchup between these two tournament hopefuls.
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are heading into this game having beaten the Rice Owls 89-66 for their 6th win in a row. Western Kentucky converted on 56.5% of their shots and hit 14 of their 28 threes. They also assisted on 24 of 35 field goals. They pulled down 33 boards, winning the rebound battle by 2. On defense they also added 8 steals and 4 blocks. Charles Bassey led the way with 21 points, while Taveion Hollingsworth contributed with 16 points and 7 assists. Bassey leads the team with a 61% field goal percentage, 18 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game on the year. The Hilltoppers are scoring an average of 75 points per game, while surrendering 69.4 to their opponents.
The Houston Cougars won their last game against the Cincinnati Bearcats 90-52. Houston was aggressive in this one, getting to the line 21 times and converting on 19. Quentin Grimes led the way with 20 in what was a balanced Houston attack. Fabian White Jr. provided a spark of the bench with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Houston shot 47% from the field in the game. Their top 5 defense was in true form all game, only allowing the Bearcats to convert on 30% of their field goals. Houston also controlled the glass, pulling down 47 boards and outrebounding the Bearcats by 16. Quentin Grimes leads the team with 16.9 points per game, while Justin Gorham leads the team with 9.6 rebounds per game. Houston is scoring 76.5 points per game, while allowing only 57.6 to their opponents.
Houston is 13-5 ATS this season, 9-3 ATS at home. Western Kentucky is 9-10 ATS this season, 6-4 ATS on the road.
Houston has not lost at home this season. Their defense is ranked 2nd in the nation, and that only gets stingier at home. Western Kentucky on the other hand has only lost by ten or more one time this season, on the road vs Louisville. They also own big wins over Alabama (on the road) and Memphis, while only losing to a good West Virginia team by 6 on the road. As much as I like Houston to win at home, WKU is good enough to keep this close. Give me the Hilltoppers to cover the big spread.